ABOUT US

Traditional European recipes, from Paris to Vienna to Rome, have been recreated by our skilled team of Pastry Chefs to promote the art of Pâtisserie and Boulangerie in a Southern African context. We are thus able to satisfy multi-cultural desires and trends, tantalising the taste buds of all customers. We know you will enjoy browsing through our web pages as much as we enjoyed making each and every decadent treat.

Bon Appétit !

History

Château Gâteaux was born in 1997 in a basement warehouse in Sydney Road, Durban. Founding partner and current MD, Ilan Lipschitz, is our Master Chef Pâtissier and internationally trained Pastry Chef. Ilan studied and worked in his profession in Austria, Switzerland and France, honing his confectionary skills and learning the process of blast freezing. This is a critical process in our production that seals in freshness and enables us to make products with a long freezer life and free from added preservatives. He played the leading role in starting and establishing the company, which now dominates the premium cakes and dessert sector of the hospitality market in South Africa.

In 2005, after operating for more than seven years from its modest basement factory, the company made its boldest move since opening, by upgrading to a state-of-the-art production facility. Designed in accordance with ISO22000 standards, the factory stands proud in Durban's trendy Riverhorse Valley business estate. Substantial space and capacity were allowed for us to grow production to meet the increasing demand for the range. However, that generous space was swallowed up and the offices, boardroom and factory shop relocated in November 2014 to Imvubupark, Durban,followed by the factory in April 2015.

The retail market has been tested over the years with various offerings. Initially, the products were merchandised and sold in a chilled state, which drastically reduced their shelf-life and wastage was high. Relaunched to be sold in a frozen state, the small retail range of 18cm gâteaux found favour with the Durban consumer and encouraged the company to launch the Château Gâteaux Pâtisserie brand in 2010.

Customised desserts, developed to meet specific requirements of our customers, is a growing trend, particularly amongst the Foodservice Chains.

Behind the Scenes

Ilan has passed on his skills to create an experienced and talented group of previously disadvantaged men and women who sculpt these mouth-watering, hand-crafted creations. The factory employs 75 people who all began their journey in the scullery, the most basic entry level position, in order to learn every facet of the production process. Many of the employees have been with the company from inception.